Search - The 5.6.7.8's :: Bomb the Twist

Crazy Fun Surf/Garage Rock

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 06/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I realize how wrong this sounds, but for many years rock has suffered badly from a lack of total stupidity. Think about it (yes, I also see the irony in analyzing the importance of stupidity in American music). In the early days, rock was mindless to the point of incoherence - and it was fun. Where have you gone, Wooly Bully? Come back, Louie Louie (but only the versions where you can't tell what they're saying). Alas, Surfin Bird ("B-B-B-Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word") has flown. The poetry of "A wop bop a lu bop, a lop bam boom" - who writes that for us now? Nowadays, rockers are just not willing to get that stupid. Blame Dylan, if you must, but the fun-o-meter has been running on empty for years.Well, after seeing The 5.6.7.8's performance in Kill Bill, Vol 1, I am thrilled that our long national nightmare is over. In lieu of domestic incoherence, we can now revel in the linguistic and cultural confusion that have made Japanese horror movies almost as hysterically funny as the English translations of electronics product manuals. In The 5.6.7.8's, we have a female Japanese power trio attempting to recycle the Ronettes hair-do's and matching dresses circa 1962, surf guitar, ambiance from Shindig, and lyrics that I truly hope they cannot even remotely comprehend. Not that most of these lyrics are comprehensible in any known language. Take the title cut of this all-too-short EP, "Bomb The Twist." When they scream "C'mon everybody, Bomb the Twist!" it is at once impossible and irrelevant to know whether the band's intentions are to celebrate the Twist, destroy it, dance it with extreme enthusiasm, or whether we are hearing blissful randomness from folks who don't speak the language but enjoy how the words sound (personally, I believe "all of the above" is the correct answer). Totally rock & roll. This may just be the most anarchic fun possible in under three minutes time. The obvious choice for a band like this is to cover nonsense songs from back in the day, and this EP features the old chestnut "Woo Hoo," the Rock-A-Teens' one hit wonder re-made famous by The 5.6.7.8's performance in Kill Bill. Since the only lyrics consist of "woo" and "hoo," it is universal, international, meaningless and incoherent. There is no angst in woo, nor any in hoo. Especially not with the chirpy delivery here. And the lyrical content is even lower in "Jane in the Jungle," which sounds about exactly like you'd expect from the title. Jungle noises, whoops and guitars. Speaking of guitars, consider "Guitar Date," in which we learn that when you date a Japanese girl, you should bring your guitar - that's all these girls seem to remember.Not everything here works. The remake of The Coasters "Three Cool Cats" (now gender-altered to "Three Cool Chicks") shows The 5.6.7.8's are much better at Dick Dale and the Kingsmen than Gene Vincent. Similarly, "Dream Boy" indicates that tough girls should leave the swooning poodle skirt stuff to Leslie Gore. But the other cuts are devastating, and despite frequent comments that The 5.6.7.8's are "primitive," the lead guitarist has all the chops needed for this genre and the drummer is terrific. Fun, fun, fun."

Absolutely Amazing!

K. Brown | Walnut, Ca USA | 08/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I believe these ladies to be absolutely spectacular, both in presence and performance. The 5.6.7.8's have this exotic retro photo presence that is pleasing to the eye, and is backed up by equally twisted and wonderful music.



Second, this sound is not everybody's cup of tea. "Bomb the Twist" is the perfect CD to pick up if you caught them in "Kill Bill," are curious about their sound, and want a small but diverse sampling of their music. Six equally alluring songs, all with a different flavor.



Starting out with the title track, vocalist Ronnie "Yoshiko" Fujiyama lets out an all-out verbal assault screaming in beautifully broken English "Come On, Bomb-a-Da-Twist!" like it's a crazed declaration of battle! The first flashbacks that slapped my memory bank were of seeing performance artist Joanna Went back in '84, and hearing "Mari In Love" by The Pugs (another underrated Japanese group) for the first time.



There is something totally mesmerizing about the combo of the music and Fujiyama's vocals. At times it's loud, crazy, and crass; at other times like a drawn-out hypnotic chant that draws you in. My personal favorite track is "Dream Boy," where Fujiyama is at her absolute finest. The lyrics are sweet, romantic, but Ronnie's tone sounds lustful, predatory, and powerful.



Seriously, I was expecting something cute and campy when I picked up this CD. I got so much more than I bargained for! The 5.6.7.8's are campy, yes...and not just cute, but brazenly cute! They are also excellent performers who put out solid music. Quentin Tarantino certainly knows a great thing when he stumbles upon it!"

Woo Hoo!

Obio Ntia | New York | 10/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bomb the Twist is fifteen minutes of fun with "Three Cool Chicks". The 5, 6, 7, 8's bring it with six tracks that are very hard to rank by favorites. If I had to pick three favorites on the CD, I'd have to say the fiery title track, "Bomb the Twist", followed by "Dream Boy" and "Guitar Date". When I got the CD, I was thrilled to find out that "Woo Hoo" was on the CD. I bought the CD right after I saw "Kill Bill", and they played "Woo Hoo" in the restaurant scene in that movie. I can't get enough of "Woo Hoo" or the 5, 6, 7, 8's. I'm here to pick up another CD tonite."